Births, deaths & marriages registers, 1787-1856

This guide provides a list of the Registers of Births, Deaths and Marriages, 1787-1856 which can be viewed on microfilm. These records are Open to Public Access (OPA).

Arrangement of registers

Although the Registers are referred to as the 'Pre-1856' or 'Old Records', some entries relating to baptisms, burials or marriages up to 1901 are also include:

The pre-1856 Registers are arranged by Registry Volume Number, for example, Nos 1-123. Within this arrangement, the following is a general breakdown:

In addition, the microfilms also contain some other records that do not fall into this numbering sequence. These are:

These volumes have been included in the set of microfilms for the sake of completeness; all entries located in them also appear in other Registry volumes.

Registers by ceremony

Baptisms

* Contains transcriptions of baptismal entries copied by the Registrar General from church registers acquired or made available on loan from the various churches for check with official records.

Burials

* Contains: transcriptions of burial entries copied by the Registrar General from church registers acquired or made available on loan from the various churches for check with official records; and, records of burials recorded at Church of England, Camperdown between 1856 and 1864 received by the Registrar General with other records pursuant to the Clergy Returns Transfer Act of 1878.

Marriages

* Contains transcriptions of marriage entries copied by the Registrar General from church registers acquired or made available on loan for check with official records.

Indexes to the registers

Microfiche copies of the Pioneer series of Indexes to Births, Deaths and Marriages, 1788-1888, Federation series of Indexes to Births, Deaths and Marriages, 1889-1918 and NSW Between the wars series of Indexes to Death and Marriage, 1919-1945 are available from the:

Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages
GPO Box 30, SYDNEY NSW 2001
Website: www.bdm.nsw.gov.au

In looking for a particular entry relating to a pre-1856 baptism, burial or marriage which may be found in the registers on these microfilms, the portion of the microfiche Index which relates to the pre-1856 period should first be consulted. This will give a reference to volume and entry number.

The Detailed Listing in this guide should then be consulted to locate the appropriate microfilm reel for the register.

If, in consulting the microfiche indexes for the pre-1856 records, the relevant reference is to a volume number other than Registry Volume Numbers 1 to 123, the researcher should approach the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, which holds these records.

In locating the relevant entry, users should note that these Registers usually contain old discrete 'Church' numbers and a subsequent Registry number that is generally intermittent. Hence for each entry while the Church number will appear in full (for example as 858, 859, 860, 861 etc), the Registry number may only appear in full for the first or last entry on a particular page, if at all. In some instances even this is not the case; the official number appears in full only spasmodically. Consequently, care must be exercised in determining the appropriate entry number.

Volumes 1-19

Please note that there are many inconsistencies in these records, and accordingly that they are difficult to use.

Volumes 20-29

Volumes 38-59

Volumes 60-94

Volumes 95-end

+ Some pages have been inadvertently missed in filming while for others the filmed image is very faint. These pages have been copied and are available in our reading roonm at COD 434 and 435 (2 sets); they have also been filmed onto Reel 5048 (see Appendix).

Notes on the records

1. For entry numbers 1-16 see entry for Vol. 7 and explanatory note 3 below.

2. Vol. 6. Binding error:

Baptismal entries commence at No. 19 (p.2), each entry bearing a discrete number and continuing through to No. 159 (p.11). Page 12 commences with entry No. 430 (Registry's nurturing system*) at which point the 'old' discrete number should be disregarded. The Registry's numbering system continues through to page 24 (entry No. 635). Page 24 is immediately followed by p.25 that contains entries 1-18 (old discreet numbers). Page 26 commences with entry number 254 and continues through to entry number 429 on p.36. Pages 37-42 contain entry numbers 160-253.

*NB: The 'old' discrete numbering system complies with the microfiche index for entries 1-253 only after which the Registry's numbering system should be used. The latter normally appears at the top of each page (and occasionally at the foot of the page) requiring the entry numbers between to be 'calculated'.

3. This page belongs to Vol. 5 (having at some time been inadvertently been transferred to Vol. 7)

4. On p.146 of the register a correction has been made to the first digit at entry number 250 (eg. 350). follows through to the end of the baptismal entries - thus the 200's should read 300's and the 300's, 400's etc. ending at 841.

5. Registry's entry numbers at the foot of each page.

6. "Old" discrete entry number.

7. The Registry entry numbers in this register are inconsistent with the entry numbers in the (microfiche) index. In addition, the Registry entry numbers are both intermittent and (in many cases) illegible. The error occurs between pp. 171 and 173 of the register (consolidated pagination) when entry 1954 (p. 171) is followed by entry 1855 (p. 173) thus making the

register entry numbers approximately 100 behind those of the (microfiche) index.

8. Entry number 2798 in the register is assigned entry number 2599 in the (microfiche) index. The last entry number in the register is 3569. In the index the number for this entry is given as 3370, thus making the register entry numbers approx. 200 in advance of those of the index. In order to find an entry in the register add approx. 200+ to the index number before searching for the register entry.

9. Entries in these volumes also appear in the Registry volumes and may be located by reference to the (microfiche) index.

10. There are over 5000 baptismal entries in Vol. 47. The volume is in poor physical condition thus making many of the entries difficult both to locate and to read. There appears to be no register entries Nos. 1-26 - the Registry's entry numbers commencing at No. 27.

11. Entries 950-972 (Unitarian Church, Macquarie Street, Sydney): This is a typescript copy of the register (R.G.'s 1966) - the original being in the possession of the Mitchell Library.

12. Note that registers cover baptismal dates but also give the birth dates which are in many cases much earlier. The indexes also refer to the date of birth (where known) rather than the date of baptism.

13. Note that the entry numbers in Vol. 74 are out of sequence.

14. Commencing at 1093 respective entry numbers are stamped in bold figures.

15. Commencing at 334 respective entry numbers are stamped in bold figures.

16. This volume contains some baptismal entries in addition to burials. Entry numbers for the latter are sometimes noted as inclusive numbers (top or bottom of the page). Discrete numbering of entries - although evident - is not normally related to the Registry's indexes although there are exceptions to this rule.

17. Intermittent numbering - 'calculate' entry numbers.

18. Register annotated "Numbers 223-228 blank".

19. Scan right-hand side of page for entries 65-end.

20. Numerical sequence inconsistent.

21. The numbers given in the 'Registry Vol.' column indicate NSW State Archives' reference numbers. These items have been filmed twice; they also appear on Reel 5016.

Appendix

Entries Missed in Filming or Re-Filmed (Photocopies at COD 434-35 (2 sets))

Volumes 1-47 (including 5/4219)

Volumes 48-73

Volumes 74-end